The Weird Weekend

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The Weird Weekend is the only family oriented fortean conference in the world

The Weird Weekend is an annual conference hosted by the Centre for Fortean Zoology in rural North Devon. It is the largest regular cryptozoological conference in the English speaking world (4). They have had 50 different speakers since it began. It is a fundraiser for the CFZ, and since 2000 has featured the cream of the world's cryptozoological researchers. Jonathan Downes. the Director of the CFZ said in a 2004 interview with BBC Radio Devon, that "although the conference is predominantly cryptozoological in nature, it is not exclusively so. We try to make sure that the speakers include ones that are of interest to the people who attend, even if they are sometimes a little off topic".

The original mission statement for the event reads: "For years we had - individually and collectively - been guests at various conventions and conferences around the country, and indeed around the world, and we decided that we wanted to do one of our own. However we wanted to do a conference with a difference.

In the UK at least, the UFO Community, the Fortean Community, the Cryptozoological Community and the Pagan Community are four totally different things. We felt that this was a pity. There were and are people who regularly speak at conferences for each of these communities who have a lot of interesting things to impart to members of the other communities but until now never got the chance. We decided that as we had a foot in each of the camps we would do our best to ensure that the Weird Weekend would, each year, be a forum where people from all the different communities could meet, make friends and talk to each other. The first event was held in 2000, and annually since then, proving that our concept was a success beyond our wildest dreams...." (1)

A group photograph of the speakers at the 2005 event

1 History
2 2007 Event
3 Previous Events
4 References
5 Links

[edit] History

The event had very humble beginnings. The first event was held in a tumbledown Parish Hall in Exeter (2). According to the CFZ, it was attended by only about a dozen people, and made a loss of £75.

The next two events were held at Exeter University in conjunction with the University Science Fiction Society, and although they were marginally more successful, they still only just about broke even, and the 2003 event - the one which, ironically, was their first success - very nearly didn't happen.

Interviewed by the Exeter Express and Echo in 2003, Jon Downes and Richard Freeman admitted that they only went ahead with the plans for the 2003 event because they were talked into it by friends, and they had already decided that the 2003 event would be the last.

However, a new venue (the 16th Century haunted pub The Cowick Barton), and a broader policy of guests was a success, and the fourth event made nearly £1,000 ensuring that the event would continue.

It was held at the Cowick Barton for three years, but eventually outgrew the venue. By 2005 it was the largest cryptozoological conference in Britain, and in 2006, when the CFZ relocated from suburban Exeter to the small village of Woolfardisworthy in North Devon, the Weird Weekend followed, and the 2006 event was a massive success.

Apart from the Fortean Times Unconvention, the Weird Weekend is now the biggest, and most important fortean event in Britain, and regularly attracts visitors - ans speakers - from all over the world. In recent years, the event has included music, theatre and art exhibitions, as well as workshops where visitors can learn cryptozoological and naturalist techniques. Since 2003, the CFZ has held an open day as part of the festivities, where people can come and see their work for themselves.

The Weird Weekend is unique because, as Jon Downes, one of the founders said in a 2006 interview:

"It is a success because it is a social event as well as a scientific one. It is also the only such event in the world where there are as many interested members of the general public, as there are hardcore cryptozoologists".

Earlier events were marked by an anarchic, alcohol-fuelled, and often surreal, approach, but after the move to North Devon, the event is now much more family oriented.

[edit] 2007 Event

The 2007 event will be held on the 17-19 August, and confirmed speakers include:

Larry Warren, Peter Robins, Jonathan Downes, Richard Freeman, Oll Lewis, Nick Redfern, Jonathan McGowan, Matthew Williams, Mike Hallowell, Dr Charles Paxton, Ian Simmons, Gregoriy Panchenko, Adam Davies, Dr Darren_Naish, Chris Moiser, Paul Vella and Ronan Coghlan.

There will be exhibitions from: Mark North, Anthony James, Big Cats in Britain, Dr Iggy Tavares, Metamorphosis (exotic insects), and a display of pictures of monsters by the children of Woolfardisworthy.(3)

In March 2007, the CFZ created a new website for the Weird Weekend

[edit] Previous Events

2000
Nick Redfern, Richard Freeman, Mike Hallowell, David Farrant, Emmet Sweeney, Malcolm Robinson, Chris Moiser, Jonathan Downes and Mark Norman

2001
Matthew Williams, Sir Lawrence Gardner, Chris Moiser, Tim Matthews, Richard Freeman, Steve Jones, George Bishop, Jonathan Downes, Nigel Watson, and Joyce Howarth.

2002
Larry Warren, Gail-Nina Anderson, Mike Hallowell, John Tindsley, Malcolm Robinson, Chris Moiser, Richard Freeman, George Bishop, Ian Simmons, Nigel Wright, Bob Mann,`Square the Moon`, `Jon Downes & The Amphibians from Outer Space`.

2003
Richard Freeman, Mark North, Rachel Carthy, Nigel Wright, Paul Vella, Dr Darren Naish, Steve Jones, Adam Davies, Tim Matthews, Chris Moiser, Col. John Blashford-Snell

2004
Patrick Harpur, Ronan Coghlan, Richard Freeman, Gail-Nina Anderson, Merrily Harpur, Jonathan Downes, Nick Redfern, Gary Cunningham, Chris Moiser, Darren Naish, Matthew Williams, Scott Wood.

2005
Richard Ingram, Chris Moiser, Jeremy Harte, Peter Costello, Nick Redfern, `Foolish People`, Jonathan Downes, Richard Freeman, Gareth Medway, David Farrant, Simon Sherwood, Sam Shearon, Jon Hare, Dr Gail-Nina Anderson, Steve Jones, Ronan Coghlan

2006
Bob Morrell, Dr Lars Thomas, Matthew Williams, Richard Ingram, Lionel Beer, Andreas Trottmann, Paul Cropper, Jon Ronson, Nick Redfern, Richard Freeman, Paul Vella, Chris Moiser, Larry Warren, Jeremy Harte, Ronan Coghlan, Jonathan Downes, Oll Lewis, Jon McGowan, Ant Wallis, Anthony James